Thursday, November 27, 2014

This is the prize promotion page for all the prizes being given away for the read-a-thon. We have a couple of amazing book prizes donated from some very generous authors and bloggers and a couple of prizes from me! At the end of this post, you will find details regarding how the prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the read-a-thon.

Note: These fine authors who so generously donated their books would greatly appreciate a review, if you win, on your blog and/or on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you!

As the 14th century dawns, Scotland’s survival hangs by a spider’s thread. While the clans scrap over their empty throne, the brutal Edward Longshanks of England invades the weakened northern kingdom, scheming to annex it to his realm.

But one frail, dark-skinned lad stands in the Plantagenet monarch’s path.

The beleaguered Scots cherish James Douglas as their "Good Sir James." Yet in England, his slashing raids deep into Yorkshire wreak such terror that he is branded the Black Douglas with a reward placed on his head.

As a boy, James falls in love with the ravishing Isabelle MacDuff, whose clan for centuries has inaugurated Scottish monarchs on the hallowed Stone of Destiny. Their world is upturned when James befriends Robert Bruce, a bitter enemy of the MacDuffs. Forced to choose between love and clan loyalty, James and Isabelle make fateful decisions that will draw the opposing armies to the bloody field of Bannockburn.

Here is the story of Scotland’s War of Independence and the remarkable events that followed the execution of Wallace, whose legend was portrayed in the movie Braveheart. This thrilling epic leads us to the miraculous Stone of Destiny, to the famous Spider in the Cave, to the excommunicated Knights Templar, to the suppressed Culdee Church, and to the unprecedented Declaration of Arbroath, the stirring oath document that inspired the American Declaration of Independence four hundred years later. An unforgettable saga of the star-crossed love, religious intrigue, and heroic sacrifice that saved Scotland during its time of greatest peril.
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Foreword Magazine Book-of-the-Year Award Finalist

Glen Craney is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and lawyer. The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences has honored him with the Nicholl Fellowship prize for best new screenwriting. He is also a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree and has three times been named a Foreword Reviews Book-of-the-Year Award Finalist. His debut novel, The Fire and the Light, was recognized as Best New Fiction by the National Indie Excellence Awards and as an Honorable Mention winner for Foreword's BOTYA in historical fiction. He lives in southern California.

In Time for Christmas: A Novella by Heather Blanton{2 1 print (U.S.) 2 1 eBooks (International)} WINNERS - NAILA, JENNA, KAI, SARAH
Charlene needs a miracle. God has one waiting … a hundred years in the past.

In Time for Christmas -- a Novella, is the story of Charlene Williams, a woman trapped in a dangerously abusive marriage. Disappointed that God hasn’t gotten her out of it, or even hears her prayers at all, she has shut down emotionally. When husband Dale becomes suspicious of her daily chats with the mailman, he whisks her out of town and abandons her on his family’s ranch—an isolated, dilapidated place no one has lived on for over forty years. With the promise that he’ll be back in a few days, he knocks her unconscious and leaves.

Charlene wakes up on the ranch—a hundred years in the past. Almost instantly she is drawn to Billy Page, Dale’s great grandfather. The connection is powerful and mysterious, but should she risk falling in love with a ghost? What’s going on here? Is Charlene dead, dreaming, in a coma, or simply experiencing a gift from her heavenly father?

Heather started writing when she was five; her first tale was a ghost story that her mom typed up for her on a Brother typewriter. Over the years, she has worked as a journalist for newspapers, magazines, and blogs. She has also spent decades in the corporate communications field, marketing everything from software to motorcycles. (Did she really just say "decades"?)

Heather grew up on a steady diet of Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and John Wayne Westerns. Her most fond memories are of sitting next to her dad, munching on popcorn, and watching Lucas McCain unload that Winchester! She loves exploring out West and would happily spend all her time researching and exploring ghost towns till the cows come home.

Heather lives with her husband and two adventurous boys on a farm outside Raleigh, NC. They enjoy riding practically anything with four legs or two wheels, and being outdoors.

From Jenna at The Girl with Book Lungs{6 books (6 winners--U.S. only)}
ARCsFatal Brushstroke by Sybil JohnsonWINNER - NAILAFinding Sky by Susan O'BrienWINNER - SARAHThe Bullet Catch by John GaspardDeath by Blue Water by Kait Carson

WINNERS - ALEKSANDRA, CARLA (JEN7WATERS)

One Two winners will each receive a $5 Amazon digital gift from yours truly!

This is a read-a-thon participant only giveaway. To be eligible, you must have signed up, participated and completed a wrap-up post at the end and link it here at Seasons of Reading at the official read-a-thon wrap-up post (I will give everyone until Tuesday (12/2) at 11:59pm CST to complete their wrap-up posts). We have a total of 16 prizes. This means there will be 16winners. I will award prizes as they do during Dewey's Read-a-Thon. That means first come, first served. I will draw the 16 winners with random.org and email all 16 at the same time. The first person who emails me back with their choice gets that prize. I will mark off the prizes as they are taken. All eBook prizes will be sent to winner via email (or will be given a coupon code) so please specify what format you require in your email. Winners will be chosen after the wrap-up post deadline (see above).

Monday, November 24, 2014

Here we go! Time to kick off the holiday season with style...reading style. If you're joining us, remember these things:

Try to read at least one Christmas book...it is a Christmas read-a-thon, after all. But I won't arrest you if you don't. *wink*

You do not have to have a blog. Join us from Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads

The linky below is the same as the sign-up linky so if you've already signed up and now want to link up your reading plans, just add your link and put reading plans in parentheses (ex. Michelle (reading plans)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via the contact form, or visit the read-a-thon guidelines page for answers (you will also find out how we do the read-a-thon giveaway) here: http://seasonsreading.blogspot.com/p/guidelines.html

Have fun!

If you're on Twitter, stop by and chat with the hashtag #CSReadathon No official chats are scheduled, but I'm sure people will be hanging out or stopping by. Maybe we can share a cup of cocoa or spiced cider.

If you haven't already, why not join us for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, which runs all season long, you can do so at my Christmas blog, The Christmas Spirit. Would love to have you! Also, my season long Christmas event kicks off over there tomorrow. I'm looking for guests so if you love Christmas and want to be my guest to tell us why (anything goes...favorite movies, books, family memories, traditions), please stop by over there and leave me a message in the contact form. Can you tell Christmas is my favorite time of year? I'm SO excited!!!

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I am not requiring that you read only Christmas/holiday books during the read-a-thon, but I hope you will pick up at least one holiday tale, even if it's just to read some children's books with your kids or some holiday short stories

to check in on Twitter, we'll use hashtag #CSreadathon

as usual, you do not have to have a blog to participate...feel free to link up and check in from Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

If anyone is interested in donating prizes or hosting a giveaway or mini-challenge, please contact me using the contact tab above.

Authors...read-a-thons are always a great way to promote your books...and they don't have to be about Christmas (but if they are, that's great too!). Please contact me if you'd like to contribute.

Hope I haven't forgotten anything. If you have any questions or notice something I've left out, please feel free to contact me via the contact tab.

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